"Quintessential Summer"

"Quintessential Summer"

Colored pencil on black cotton paper

I was thinking the other day how much I miss working in colored pencil.  One might ask me why not continue to dabble in it.  Well I might on and off but it's such a time intensive medium that I really can't dedicate the time required to complete just one piece which is why I am now working in watercolor.  It's fast, it's equally portable as colored pencil if not more.  Thanks to the dry brush technique I can almost achieve the same effects as colored pencil with just one area that I can't... working on black paper.  Maybe after I finish the flower series I'm currently working on I'll sit down for a good long draw in colored pencils once again.  

Mark your calendars! It's a solo show at New Seasons Market in Progress!

"In Memory of my Mom"

"In Memory of My Mom" 

Watercolor on acid free cotton paper.

Red hydrangea

New card design finished and scanned. Some people turn to their seed catalogs this time of year. I go through the reference pictures I took from the year before and start painting. This particular flower is from Joy Creek Nursery in Scappoose. They have an incredible selection of hydrangea to drool over in Scappoose. Sometime in the spring they host a not to be missed informational presentation on hydrangeas and tour of their display garden that inspires me to bring home another new specimen for my own garden. This is a watercolor on Sennelier hot press cotton paper - a delightful paper for detail.

At the Portland Art Museum

Something fun from urban sketching at the Portland Art Museum a couple weeks ago. It was an experiment using a water soluble ink and water. Using ink this way is a very unforgiving method so it's going to take a bit of practice but I do like the results. It's good for quick sketches that are more robust.

The show at the Columbia City Library

Starting today is a new program at the Columbia City Library displaying the work of local artists and artisans. First up is Dana Belisle and your’s truly for the month of February.